Friday, September 03, 2004

The prez puts on a good show

Well, after a week of anti-RNC, anti-Bush sentiment proliferating through the streets of NYC, the prez got up on the podium last night and gave a calm, well-crafted speech to gain public support for his re-election. While I wish he had stumbled his words and let his ideas fall out slipshod, Bush gave a passionate and effective speech that proves the dem's really have their work cut out for them. Bush hit the nail on the head with domestic issues - pressing buttons with talk of taxes (they're too complicated!), health care (too expensive) and, of course, safety from terrorism (to be determined).

Of course, it was all a bunch of horseshit, but that's politics.

Afterwards, Kerry & Edwards held a rally in Ohio so that John Kerry could respond to some of the attacks that his campaign has been under by the lapdog speakers at the RNC. I SO wanted Kerry to get up there, piping mad, and espouse a clear distinction between himself and Bush that could be a true "wake-up call to America" (as he claimed the RNC to be), but instead it felt like the same sort of politicking that had been going on all week at MSG. His words bordered on rhetoric, and his delivery was flat. Sure, the people there were all up in arms and excitable - especially the ladies in the audience when John Edwards went around for a group grope - but is that the best Kerry's got? C'mon, man... republicans have taken the gloves off, why can't you?

Don't get me wrong - Kerry's got my vote. Anything but "FOUR MORE YEARS" of the chicanery from this administration: an international and domestic embarrasment for America which has done more damage to our country than we can possibly know. The problem four years ago was (among other things), Gore couldn't sell himself to the swing voters as a compassionate alternative from his opponent. Kerry's team has got to do a better job of getting their message out or we are doomed. And if things do continue on this path of "compassionate conservatism," it's time for me to either hightail it outta here or have NYC claim independence from the union.